The ridge is 17 km long as the crow flies and could be done as a day's walk with cars at either end.

However there are several great day's walking shown here and using these walks you can do the whole range in easily manageable stages over a period of time. Doing this also gives you the opportunity to discover some of the interesting features in the adjoining territory - particulaly to the east of the Rhinns - the old mine workings at Garryhorn, the "Black Watch" figurehead at Forrest Lodge, the memorial to the young shepherd lost in a snow storm below Millfire, etc.

This is a ridge with spectacular views, particularly to the west over the the Silver Flowe and the Dungeon Hills to the Awful Hand.
The view to the east beyond the valley of the Water of Deuch is of the Scaur and Carsphairn Hills and though perhaps not quite so dramatic these hills still very much have their own charm.

For a general picture of the whole area see the Galloway Hills Map.

Parking grid references are:

Green Well of Scotland - on the A713 road near Garryhorn - NX557943
Forebush/Forrest Lodge - NX552863
Clenrie - NX558824
Craigencallie - NX504782

The map on the right is taken from the web gallery of route 1 as shown in the map at the top of the page. There is a layby just across the road from Green Well of Scotland. The blue route is the one described in that gallery, but the green route is probably the more spectacular taking in as it does both Carlin's Cairn and Corserine, each of which are higher than 800 metres.

If you want to do the whole of Rhinns of Kells in separate easily manageable stages, as suggested above, then you would combine these two routes as separates day's walks with the others shown on this page.
Like the many old deserted houses you find scattered about the hills the old mine workings at Garryhorn set you speculating on what life went on here.

To the left is the map taken from route 3 from the map at the top of the page here in blue. The route for route 2 in is also shown here in green.

They both start from the car park between Forrest Lodge and Fore Bush There is an information board at the car park telling you of the three separate ways through the forest to get onto the Rhinns that you can take from there. These 3 ways correspond with what you see in this map.
Route 2 (in green) heads north of Loch Harrow up onto Corserine then heads south east to Meikle Millyea and back through the most southerly way through the forest.

The map on the left is taken from the web gallery of route 5 as shown in the map at the top of the page.
Craigencallie is the nearest public access to the southern end of the Rhinns of Galloway. You pick up the road into Craigencallie just west of the dam at the southern end of Clatteringshaws Reservoir. You drive along this narrow road until you come to a locked gate across the road just past Craigencallie Outdoor Centre (NX504783). There is a car park there for several vehicles. From there you go over the gate and head along the forest road in the direction of Loch Dee until after about 1km you come to another forest road branching off to the right. As you turn into this road you will see a quarry low on the side of the hill opposite you. Make for the quarry, then head up through it and through the firebreak on the hill leading from it and you are now beginning to climb Darrou.

In the early stages of this walk, as you climb towards Meikle Millyea, there are excellent views across Loch Dee to the Minnigaff Hills. From Little Millyea onwards you start to get excellent views across the Silver Flowe and the Dungeon Hills to the Awful Hand to the north west of you and this view will develop constantly as you head for Corserine. It is this view that makes walks along the Rhinns of Kells so special.